Described below is a preheating apparatus for steel scrap and to metallurgical melting vessel equipped therewith. A preheating apparatus known for example from EP 0 711 397 A1 has a vertical shaft surrounded by a housing wall used to receive the steel scrap and at least one closure element which has a plurality of laterally spaced-apart fingers extending parallel to one another. The closure element is mounted such that it can move between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position the fingers extend at least partly into the shaft for the purposes of holding back steel scrap. Hot gases formed during the melting process flow between the fingers and heat up the steel scrap present in the shaft. In the open position the fingers open up the shaft at least far enough to enable the steel scrap to fall out of the shaft and into a melting container positioned below the shaft.
In the known preheating apparatuses two closure elements are provided, wherein these are each supported pivotably around a pivot axis extending into an edge area of the shaft like a type of two-armed lever. Starting from their closed position in which they protrude into the shaft and hold back steel scrap in the shaft, they are moved into their open position by being pivoted downwards. The steel scrap can then reach the melting container and a steel melt present therein via a container opening. For reasons of process economy the amounts of steel scrap charged in each case are so large that initially a column of steel scrap is formed, which possibly might extend upwards into the pivot area of the closure elements. Until the closure elements can be closed again in this case there must therefore be a period which is long enough for the height of the steel scrap column to be reduced by the melting of the steel scrap at the base of the column to enable the closure elements to be pivoted upwards again into their closed position and to enable a new charge of steel scrap to be introduced into the preheating apparatus for preheating.